Tis the season to be Thankful, how appropriate for us to reflect on God’s goodness to us all and to be thankful for all that He has done in our lives. Today you’re in for a special treat. I had the privilege to interview a fellow Safe Havener, she shared her testimony with me, and right now we would like to share this exclusive interview with you. Enjoy.
Philippians 4:12-13 (New International Version)
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
How can we be fully content when we are going through a rough time? God’s Word encourages us to move forward no matter how difficult the situation. God wants to be our source of strength.He is always there for us, ready for us to lean on Him, and trust in Him. He is our Heavenly Father and He loves us more than we can imagine.
Every one of us can remember a time when we were in need, in need of a miracle, in need of protection, or perhaps in need of a friend. Jesus wants to be there for us, He wants to be our refuge in our time of need like we learned last week, He wants us to believe Him for miracles, He wants to be our source of protection as the story of the Pilgrims reminds us this time of year. The Pilgrims completely relied on God as their source. God was their strength, they braved terrible conditions for the purpose of being able to worship God freely.
Thanksgiving is so much more that gathering around a table eating turkey and filling up on desserts. All of those things are great and we share this special time of the year together with the ones we love, however let us reflect and remember the reason why there is a Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims wanted to be able to worship freely without restrictions. It is said that before they made their voyage every sermon preached, and every song sung to the Lord in the worship services had to be approved, and if it was not approved they were not permitted to share the message or sing the songs. The Pilgrims left their homes, their land, their fortunes, everything because what mattered to them the most was being able to worship their Creator in freedom and in truth. It is also said that when they finally made it across the sea they gathered together and said this Psalm:
Psalm 100
A Psalm of thanksgiving and for the thank offering.
1 MAKE A joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!
3 Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.
Imagine going through all that the Pilgrims went through, the perilous journey, the sicknesses, the loss of home… Then with all of the things they could have complained about, they chose to GIVE THANKS to our Lord, they chose to honor Him with gratitude. They didn’t throw their hands into the air and say, “Where is God?” they believed that even in the most horrible of times God was there. Just like The Anoweck family did when their precious son was injured. That’s why Thanksgiving day is special day we set aside every day thanks to Abraham Lincoln in 1863, to reflect on everything we are thankful for, our family, our friends, our jobs, our homes, and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
More than anything God wants a relationship, a friendship with us all. So this year as we gather around the table, and pass the Turkey and gravy, let’s be thankful. Thankful that during hard times God is our strength, thankful that we have a choice to love and worship Him in a free country, thankful for our friends and family, most of all and thankful for another year to know and love the Lord.
Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
stephaniecatlett.com 
Stephanie – every year, before Thanksgiving dinner, we go around the table and we thank God for one thing we are thankful for. Sometimes I’ll find something nice to read or I’ll receive a touching email that I’ll read aloud – I always try to take a little bit of time before everyone digs in to really be “thankful”. We go to church and Sunday school and my kids know that their thankfulness should be to their Creator. As with most life lessons, we know what we should do in our heads before we actually put it into practice.
This is the first time that I have seen the connection between the pilgrims and our Father put so perfectly. I don’t think we’ve ever discussed the hardships that the pilgrims went through or the reason they were willing to endure it. I will be printing this and we will be reading this as a family on Thursday before dinner. Thank you for these posts. You are a blessing! 🙂
Dear Michelle,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment to this post. I am thrilled you were blessed, and I thank God that you already Lead Your Family in Thankfulness. I am very touched and humbled that you will be sharing this post with your family on Thanksgiving. I pray God’s best blessings for you and your family, and I thank you for reading my blog. Your comment made my day :o)